Mu Lan, having escaped from the hospital, was bent on reaching the examination venue as soon as possible, completely oblivious to how eye-catching her hospital gown made her.
She randomly flagged down a taxi by the roadside, opened the door, and got in with swift movements.
The driver was taken aback by her attire.
"Driver, to Yucai Middle School, and please hurry, I'm worried about being late for the exam."
"Exam? Is there an exam today?"
The driver sounded a bit puzzled.
"It's the college entrance exam today, how do you not know that?"
Mu Lan was getting a bit anxious. She wondered why she was having such bad luck today, always running into odd people.
"..."
The driver glanced at Mu Lan several times, thinking she seemed a bit off.
But since the customer is always right, it didn't seem right to suspect a young girl of something so negative.
However, after some thought, he decided to probe further.
"Really? I must be too busy; I even forgot what day it is."
"It's June 8th, the last subject in the afternoon is English. I did well in the previous subjects, and English is my strong suit."
Mu Lan spoke cheerfully, looking forward to her performance in the English exam.
But hearing all this nonsense, the driver turned pale.
This was actually a mentally ill person.
Glancing again at the hospital gown marked First People's Hospital, the driver's hands began to tremble with fear.
"Ah… well… good luck then, I hope you get into your desired university."
Though terrified, he responded with feigned calm for his own safety.
Steady, steady, just don't agitate her.
"I'll take your good wishes."
Mu Lan hummed happily, which made the driver sweat coldly down his back.
Seeking an opportunity, he started driving in circles back toward the hospital, his inner monologue quite rich.
This must have been her sneaking out when the doctors and nurses weren't looking; it'd probably be safer to just take her back, in case she suddenly went berserk.
Alas, such a young girl, and yet to be mentally ill. What a pity.
It wasn't until they were almost at the hospital that Mu Lan realized something was amiss.
"Hey? Driver, you took a wrong turn, didn't you?"
"No mistake, this is the destination."
He parked the car at the hospital's doorstep, left the driver's seat at lightning speed, and locked the doors.
"There's an escaped mental patient from your hospital in my car, please contact her family quickly."
The security guard at the guardhouse had already received a notification about a fleeing patient and immediately contacted Assistant He.
Five minutes later, as Mu Lan tapped on the car window, the sight of the black-clad bodyguard she had finally shaken off made her heart skip a beat. Were these kidnappers omnipotent?
"Keep a closer eye on your family members in the future; it's far too dangerous. Luckily, I'm vigilant."
"I am so sorry for the trouble," Assistant He apologized.
As a way of compensation, he pulled out a wad of cash from his wallet as a thank you to the driver.
But this action convinced Mu Lan even more that these people were kidnappers and the driver was an accomplice.
So the moment the car door was opened, she started screaming for help.
"Help! These people are kidnappers; they are trafficking young girls!"
The hospital was crowded already, and Mu Lan's loud cries immediately attracted a lot of attention.
The several burly, black-clad bodyguards did look intimidating indeed.
It's not to say that people with good intentions aren't plentiful; someone ready to act bravely and righteously soon appeared.
After a while, Huo Tingxiao also hurried over, telling the onlookers that he was Mu Lan's husband, and not some kidnapper.
But Mu Lan had amnesia and couldn't remember who he was.
"He's lying. I don't know him. Please, call the police quickly. These people are human traffickers."
All the commotion eventually brought the police to the scene.
Each party argued their case convincingly, and in the end, they could only solve it back at the police station.
----------
"Officer, they are kidnappers. They want to sell me, and that driver is in on it too."
Mu Lan spoke with righteous indignation. Huo Tingxiao watched her, his face turning unspeakably somber.
"Haven't you caused enough trouble?"
"Sir, please be quiet for a while. Let her finish her statement before you speak."
The policeman's words undoubtedly gave Mu Lan confidence. She described in very clear detail everything from her painful fainting during an exam to waking up in the hospital and then being abducted by strangers and her clever escape.
Of course, Huo Tingxiao's version would be completely different.
"You say he's a kidnapper?"
The officer pointed at Huo Tingxiao, and Mu Lan nodded quickly.
"And you say she's your wife, who lost her memory in a car accident?"
The officer then pointed at Mu Lan. Huo Tingxiao didn't speak, which was taken as agreement.
If it weren't for Assistant He bringing their marriage license and the hospital director personally attesting to Mu Lan's condition, the officer wouldn't have known whom to believe.
"I see. Well then, just sign here and you can take the person with you."
"Officer, they must all be in it together. I really don't know them.
Officer, you have to save me. They really aren't good people!"
Even as the bodyguards led her out of the police station, Mu Lan struggled in vain.
This debacle finally wore down all of Huo Tingxiao's patience. He had originally hoped to handle things more respectably, but since she insisted on causing such a scene, he couldn't be blamed for his ruthlessness.
Huo Tingxiao hadn't intended to divorce so soon, especially since the Mu Family had just encountered such a significant incident; he had to consider the feelings of the elders and the impact on the company's stock price.
But this time Mu Lan had crossed the line too far; continuing to indulge her could lead to untold disasters.
If only she had been a little smarter, a bit more compliant, he might have turned a blind eye and continued this farcical marriage.
Unexpectedly, she had gone so far as to pretend to have amnesia.
"Do you still want to keep up this act?"
"What act? I really don't recognize you!
Don't think I don't know that the marriage certificate is a fake that you forged, or that you've colluded with the doctors to falsify medical records to slander me.
You…"
"Enough! I don't want to watch you play the fool anymore!"
"Why are you being harsh? Does shouting make you right?
I'm telling you, you'd better take me home; otherwise, my brother will never let you off the hook.
My brother is Mu Huaifeng, the heir to the Mu Group!"
Mu Lan's threats were entirely ineffective; she was as frustrated as a puffed-up blowfish—such an annoying man, a waste of his apparently decent appearance.
The car stopped in front of Huo Tingxiao's villa. He hoisted her up onto his shoulder as if carrying a sandbag and walked straight into the living room, completely disregarding Mu Lan's feelings.
"Hey! What are you doing? Put me down!"
With a "bang," he dropped her onto the sofa, startling both Mu Lan and another girl sitting there into screaming.
Mu Lan lifted her head and was stunned when she saw the other person's face.
"What are you doing here?"